The concept of the medical city began in October 2005 when the Tavistock Group donated $12.5 million and 50 acres (20 ha) of land to the University of Central Florida to help establish a medical school.[5][6] In March 2006, the Florida Board of Governors voted to approve UCF's proposal to build a medical college at Lake Nona, and the school greeted its first students in fall 2009.[7] In 2012, UCF purchased an additional 25 acres (10 ha) of land at Lake Nona to construct a teaching hospital.[8]
Orlando VA Medical Center
Development
The medical city is surrounded by education facilities, five million square feet of commercial and retail space, and a mix of residential options. Upon completion of construction of the various projects, UCF's Health Science Campus will accommodate as many as 5,000 upper division, professional, and graduate students and faculty members in the health-related programs, and include up to two million square feet of research and instruction space.[9] It is estimated that the medical city will create up to 30,000 jobs and have a $7.6 billion impact on the economy over the next decade.[10]
Lake Nona is a 7,000-acre (2,800 ha) master-planned community. Forty percent of the community has been reserved for open green space and lakes. Lake Nona's amenities include a planned 334-acre (135 ha) city park, 44 miles of planned trails, a number of community parks and 1,000-acre (400 ha) of lakes and waterways.
